The first root broke through the floor beneath the Devourer.
It struck the creature's body hard enough to lift several tons of flesh off the ground. The human face twisted as the rest of the Devourer collapsed around it, mouths snapping at empty air while the limbs along its sides clawed at the bark.
More roots followed.
They tore through the concrete in every direction, ripping apart the foundations and crushing the tunnels the Devourer had spread through downtown Rongdu. Some wrapped around the cords feeding its heart, while others forced themselves beneath the layers of flesh fused to the walls.
The Devourer screamed.
I almost joined it.
The power moving through the roots hit me all at once, carrying damp earth, cold stone, and a familiar presence that had been quietly surrounding my house since before the apocalypse began.
I stared down at the bark beneath my feet.
"No fucking way."
The roots belonged to my tree.
